It is one of those universally challenging questions, provoking the familiar shrug of the shoulders and roll of the eyes. What are you passionate about? Though the term is thrown around frequently, pursuing a career which aligns with your passion is crucial in achieving financial success.

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Don’t know what you’re passionate about? Great! Let’s find out.

The first step is being mindful of your “flow experiences.” What are flow experiences? Consider the following questions:

1. When do you catch yourself being wholly engaged in what you’re doing?

2. When do your surroundings fade, and your mind finds itself fixated on the task at hand?

3. Take out your phone or notebook and record your answers to these questions and how they made you feel. Picture yourself in a job that allows you to experience this daily and how fulfilled you will be.

Be Mindful of Your Habits

In a similar way, being mindful of your habits can aid you in identifying your hidden passion. What do you do to relax on weekends? What books or magazines do you read which bring you joy? It is what you prioritise in your everyday life that reflects what you value.

After consulting yourself, ask the people you love, your friends and family, what they think you’re good at and what they see you doing. After all, it is sometimes the input of a loved one who has observed you grow for years that can reveal a hidden passion.

Become a Lifelong Learner

You must become a lifelong learner, a master key that has the ability to open many doors through engaging with all avenues of learning. The obvious start is a degree, but there are also ample opportunities for online certifications that can expand your level of expertise in your chosen area. To add to this, the internet provides a wealth of information that is freely accessible. Through it, countless resources and opportunities are awaiting your action to manifest themselves within your life. Furthermore, as you continue to progress, why not consider getting a mentor? A role model that is a testament to the capability of success within your chosen field. They possess years of valuable experience which can guide you towards achieving financial success.

Become an Expert

As you progress with this commitment to learning and accumulate a wealth of knowledge in your field, you will likely find yourself on the path to becoming an expert. Your knowledge will become more refined and nuanced, and people will recognise the value in your career. Your ability to attain this ‘expert’ label can be improved by attending conferences where you have an opportunity to network with those with a vested interest in your field. Attending industry lunches and networking can also be very beneficial. Following already established experts should also serve as a guide for your achievement of this same label.

Create an Online Presence

In this increasingly digital age, creating an online presence is key when aiming for financial success in your avenue. Start an Instagram and Facebook page with visually pleasing posts to capture the attention of an audience. Connect with others in your field through LinkedIn and join other groups with like-minded people and your target audiences.

If I could give you one “secret” to financial success…

In this contemporary environment, it is tempting to jump around in your work, as avenues that are ripe for pursuit reveal themselves all the time. Though this may be enticing, a key secret to financial success is to be decisive and loyal to your chosen career and where you spend your time. After all, it is generally accepted that it takes around 10,000 hours to be an expert in any field. An individual who fails to decide on their chosen apparatus in the circus, spending their time learning how to do the trapeze, unicycle, breathe fire and juggle may never be an expert in ANY of these pursuits. To be sought after in a chosen field by being an expert, you must decide. And so, be sure to set yourself apart from the many who fail to succeed in their chosen career due to distraction.

Get Started

The greatest action you can take right now is getting started. Little habits achieved daily culminate to impressive results and so, though being able to jump in with both feet may not be achievable at this stage, allow your passion to slowly increase from a “side hustle” up until the point where you can monetarily turn it into your full-time career.

Need help finding your passion? Career Crossroads has 10+ years of experience in career coaching and talent management helping our clients turn their passion into their career.